Fresh

by Mark McNay

Book Overview

The clock is ticking for Sean O Grady. Today, his psychotic brother has been granted an early release from prison. By tonight, he will come to collect the money Sean is holding. The problem...all the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596922338
• ISBN13: 9781596922334
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

life where a full belly, a warm fire and a good woman is perfection.

This is Mark McNay's first novel and clearly draws on first hand knowledge of the day to day grind of a certain working class life where a full belly, a warm fire and a good woman is perfection. It fits within a British tradition of "kitchen sink realism" kicked of by John Osbourne's "Look back in Anger" in the 50's that looks at the dreams and anger of the working class man and woman. Think of Alan Sillitoe's Saturday night and Sunday morning or the film work to the current day of Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, both of whom continue to create powerful films unafraid of tackling head on current social problems. The story follows a day in the life of Sean working in a chicken packing factory**, who discovers that his Brother Archie has come out of jail early ( in for violence and drugs related crime). This sets up a chain of events with tragic consequences as Sean has spent most of a money clip he was banking for his brother. He desperately struggles during the course of the day to borrow the money from family and from the firm. The novel also by flashbacks reveals Sean's and Archie's childhood and life up to the events of the day. Sean is no angel; he gambles, takes a more or less willing part as a pick up in his brother's drug's network and will use his fists. But unlike his brother does with his family needs in mind- his own and that of his uncle and aunt who gave him a home when his father left and mother died. And it's for his family that he has to fight for as the day develops. The story unfolds through a lot of dialogue and switches between first and third person perspectives rather then description although we get's Sean's flights of imagination for colour. The dialogue is written in Glaswegian but it doesn't jar and often it's in the silences between characters that speak more. The speech patterns (expect sentences where F**k can be a noun, verb, adjective and have several meanings from love to hate! and the mundane events of the day convey tenderness, violence and humour in scene after scene with warm believable characters. It's remarkable that the author started a creative writing course in his late forties in 1999 which lead to this award winning (Arts Foundation New Fiction 2007) novel. Hope for all us yet! It is by no means perfect, as the ending is a little flat and the characterisation of Archie teeters on the edge of caricature but it's an easy page turner and I can't wait for the Ken Loach channel four adaptation that surely must be in pre production talks as you read this! ** and you may want to rethink eating cheap value chicken after reading the book!

Fresh is a fun read!

Author's background: McNay was brought up in a mining village in central Scotland. After a failed electrical engineering course and 15 years doing odd jobs, McNay graduated from a creative writing course at a Scottish university and began his writing career. He lives in Norwich. Plot in a nutshell: Sean works in a chicken factory, waiting for the birds to come down his line where he will hoist them high into the sky and send them off. The story takes place in one day, with plenty of flashbacks, dreams and fantastical imaginings. Sean has a big problem to solve. His brother Archie, a hardened, drug-dealing criminal, is coming home from jail early. Prior to jail, Archie left a large amount of money with his little brother for safekeeping, and Sean, expecting Archie to be in for awhile, spent a good bit of it. Archie is the violent sort and is expecting the total when he gets home. Sean desperately begins a search to get the money together and runs into some hooligans and the like in doing so. But nothing compares to the violence or fear that Archie is about to bring down on his little brother's household. Sample of prose: "It was scary waitin in the car. Ah heard a window breakin and things crashin and every time a car passed on the main road Ah thought is was the polis. Eventually Archie and Sammy appeared from the side of the house carryin a bed sheet between them. They ran to the back of the car and Ah felt the suspension go down with the weight of it. The boot slammed and they were in the car. They were giggling like wee lasies. Archie drove with no lights till we got on the main road. Then he was off like Jackie Stewart again... Everybody was smoking and drinkin and talking. Ah couldnay understand them coz of their accents." Author reminds me of: Nick Hornby, for his original Scottish sense of voice and language, and his mix of the macabre with humor. Best reason to read: The story is told in first person, alternating with third person, somewhat in the vein of the popular television show The Office. The language difference from the UK makes it even more enjoyable. As the author uses local dialect, we recognize the word, but realize that McNay has given it multiple meanings. While the language can be rough and there are a few R-rated scenes, this is a compelling, fun read.